Girl in the mirror

Girl in the Mirror

By Michelle Kyeremeh

Characters

Jocelyn 

• Age: high school, 16 years old
• Shy, curious 

Cassandra

• Age: older sister, 17 or 18 years old
• Outgoing, social

Leslie 

• Age: 16 years 
• Sneaky, manipulative, sinister 
• Childhood friends with Jocelyn 

Setting: The Bronx, the high school (classroom), at home (Jocelyn’s home), Leslie’s home

Time: a month after the murder of Cassandra 

Italics are stage directions

/ indicates an overlap in dialogue 

SCENE 1

Setting: The Bronx, a classroom.  

The class is vibrant, colorful, a fun place to be. The girls, Jocelyn and Leslie, are alone in the classroom after school.  

LESLIE

What’s wrong?  

No response from Jocelyn. Jocelyn crosses her arms and looks down at the ground, deep in thought. With a weird tone in her voice:

Is it about your sister’s death?

JOCELYN

Of course it’s about my sister’s death! My sister Cassandra was my best friend. I feel empty without her. 

Leslie stares at Jocelyn with a guilty look on her face. 

Everyone misses her. Who could do such a thing like this to her? 

LESLIE in a casual voice

Maybe that person has a reason. 

JOCELYN

Are you serious? No one deserves to die! Especially not Cassandra. She always helped me fight against bullies when I was younger. She would always tell me, “don’t think about what people have to say about you because at the end of the day you’ll die alone / and your own actions are the only ones that matter.” 

LESLIE whispering in a joking voice

That’s what happened to her. 

JOCELYN 

You know I heard what you said. What’s your problem? I know you always hated her but I expected you to sympathize with me as my childhood best friend. You’ve been acting real strange nowadays after her death. 

Leslie gets up to leave. 

LESLIE

I’m tired of listening to you speak on something I don’t care about. 

Leslie slams the door on the way out of the classroom. Jocelyn is left in shock. Jocelyn pulls out her phone and looks at a picture of her and Cassandra. 

JOCELYN 

I miss you dearly. I wish you were here with me. The police are doing nothing to try to gain justice for your death. I hate the fact that nobody is taking this seriously. Forget it. If no one will help me, I’ll do it on my own. Like you told me, at the end of the day, I have to do things alone. I’ll figure out who did this and get justice for your death! 

Jocelyn leaves with determination. 

SCENE 2

Setting: Jocelyn’s home (she lives alone)

Jocelyn is watching the news.

NEWCASTER 

The Cassandra Miller Case remains unsolved. Detectives discovered the murder weapon, a knife, in the janitor’s closet at the Preston High School. They have taken it into custody for further examination. There are no current leads to any suspects. 

Jocelyn turns off the TV with frustration.

JOCELYN

It took you guys ONE MONTH to finally find the weapon! The police are useless! The police aren’t even trying. It’s like they want me to solve it on my own. Okay. Let’s start with a list of people that don’t like my sister:

Travis, her ex boyfriend. Potential Motive: making her life miserable because she broke up with him. I don’t think Travis has the guts to do something like that.

Our Mom. Potential motive: we ran away and she was angry and wanted revenge. 

Jocelyn laughs

That woman is too busy doing drugs to worry about us. 

Ariel, one of Cassandra’s old friends. Potential motive: Ariel always wanted to steal the Queen B spot in their grade. 

A pause as Jocelyn thinks.

Leslie, my childhood best friend. I don’t want to add her to this list but the way she has been acting makes me want to. Potential motive: she’s always hated the way Cassandra acted towards her. Leslie was always so jealous of Cassandra’s looks. And Leslie is known for having a knife collection, which I always found very sinister and weird. I need to be real careful with Leslie because her intentions aren’t pure. 

Jocelyn’s phone starts ringing. Leslie is calling. Jocelyn sees who is calling. 

Speaking of the Devil. 

Jocelyn lets the phone continue to ring and go to voicemail. A notification pops up on Jocelyn’s phone indicating that Leslie has left her a voicemail. Jocelyn with anger picks up her phone to listen to the voicemail.

LESLIE voicemail

I’m not calling to say sorry. I just wanted to let you know how I feel about the situation. 

In a mocking voice

At the end of the day, what happened, happened. And there’s nothing we can do about it. Ever since Cassandra died you changed a lot. And I’m not feeling it. I want to separate myself from you for a little while. 

This information makes Jocelyn suspicious. Over the following, we hear Leslie getting angrier, slamming things and making lots of noise. 

JOCELYN

No one has ever made me this angry before!

The sound of Leslie hanging up the phone with a loud BANG. 

It has to be her. It has to be her! I’m gonna put this matter into my own hands. It’s time to get even. 

Jocelyn sends a txt to Leslie “Karma’s gonna get you!”

Jocelyn starts packing a bag- she packs a knife, gloves, and rubbing alcohol.

JOCELYN 

It’s time. 

Jocelyn walks out of the house sinisterly. 

SCENE 3

Setting: Leslie’s house 

Jocelyn approaches the house. She finds the door open. Leslie is expecting her. Jocelyn stomps up the stairs, warning Leslie that she is there. Jocelyn busts the door open to Leslie’s room. Leslie is inside, panicking. Leslie is sitting on her bed shaking. Jocelyn stands, staring at her. 

LESLIE

I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!! I’M SORRY!!! 

JOCELYN in a teasing way to make her confess

Why are you sorry? 

LESLIE crying

You know why I’m sorry! Stop making me feel worse about it! 

JOCELYN 

You better not be talking about what I think you’re talking about. I knew there was something off about you from the beginning. I never thought it would come to this. Jealousy is not a good look on you.

A pause while Leslie stares at Jocelyn. Leslie is still crying.

Speak now or I’m gonna do something that I’m gonna regret! 

LESLIE

I know murder is not the way to solve my problems. But everyday I look in the mirror and I find myself so unattractive. You don't know what happens behind the scenes. Cassandra used to make fun of me - the way I look - almost everyday when you weren’t here. It made me feel so ANGRY! The way I was being treated made me want to hurt Cassandra in the way she was hurting me. I thought it would make me feel better. But I don’t! Because I’m affecting you! I didn’t used to be like this. Cassandra kept telling me I was ugly until one day I started to believe it. And now look at me! I’m the ugliest person I know. My actions are disgusting. 

JOCELYN

There you go again, trying to put the blame on everyone but yourself. Even though I may not know what’s happening behind closed doors, you should have told me from the start. That way, it would have never had to come to this. 

LESLIE

You looked up to her as your role model. I didn’t want you to have a different perception of who she really was. So I just left it alone. You would have never believed me. And there’s no point of me explaining myself if you won’t take anything I say seriously. 

JOCELYN

How are you 100% sure that I would have reacted in that way? It’s obvious you don’t know me well enough if you think of me in this way. 

LESLIE

Then I don’t know why we’re best friends anyways. 

Jocelyn has a hurt look on her face. 

A pause. 

Your sister was the only family you had.Your sister got that same toxic trait from your Mother. Cassandra thought that she could uplift whoever she wants and then bring down whoever she wants. She was two faced. You were so used to her good side that you couldn’t see any bad in her.

JOCELYN

I totally disagree with what you’re saying. Nobody is perfect but I know that my sister was trying to create a good image of herself. She’s not just like my mom. 

LESLIE getting angry

If you want me to go to jail, just say that. I’m tired of you living in a fake reality. Open your eyes and look at the way that you’re living! You’re trying to support somebody that’s just as guilty as me. 

JOCELYN

You don’t know how bad I want you to go to jail. But you being put in jail won’t help me get over the fact that my sister is dead and my “so called” best friend was the one who killed her! 

LESLIE

This isn’t about you and the way you feel anymore. You are so naive! You never think about anyone’s feelings but yours. And this is why I don’t speak on the things that happen to me. I have a dependent personality disorder. I have to rely on someone else’s opinion for reassurance. I thought maybe you could help me with my problems but you just made them worse by making me feel bad about myself. 

JOCELYN

If I was to kill you right now and blame it on my anger towards you, how would you feel?

Leslie laughs, taking is as a joke.

LESLIE

You’re proving my point. You don’t take anything seriously. Do you hear yourself right now? 

JOCELYN

I am taking this seriously! I’m using your technique of getting rid of problems. I feel like whatever I do, I won’t heal from this. I need to feel better about myself and you’re making me feel bad. 

LESLIE

I’m tired of feeling guilty and like I can’t change my mistakes to get past it. I’ll turn myself in. This friendship is over. I hope you learn a lesson from this. 

JOCELYN

Do whatever you want because it’s never about me, it’s always about somebody else. No matter how many times you put the blame on me, I know my intentions were pure. And I can’t say the same for yours. Call the police. Because at the end of the day, I won’t be suffering, you will. 

LESLIE

I’m doing this to help myself. Maybe it will teach me not to use murder as a problem solver. 

Jocelyn watches as Leslie takes out her phone and calls the police. 

LESLIE in a normal tone

I would like to turn myself in as the murderer of Cassandra Miller/

JOCELYN

Are you sure you want to do this?

LESLIE

Yes. I’m sure. Please don’t try to show any types of feelings towards the situation now. Just get out of my house and let me deal with the consequences. 

Jocelyn walks up to Leslie and hugs her. 

JOCELYN

No matter how many obstacles this friendship has faced, I will never forget you and what this friendship has done for me. 

Leslie pushes her away.

LESLIE

Get off of me!

Jocelyn leaves the house in a sad mood.

LESLIE talking to herself

I never expected this to happen. I never imagined myself going to jail for killing someone. It is what it is. I’m ready to own up to my actions and learn to be a better version of myself. 

Police siren in the distance 

It’s time for me to go. 

Leslie walks out of the house in a hopeful way.

END OF PLAY